


Help Needed.

by recklesserenade



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst in the future, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut in the future, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29784246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recklesserenade/pseuds/recklesserenade
Summary: ‘IN NEED OF NANNY! URGENT.TWO KIDS (7 AND 5), JUST NEED HELP FROM 17:00 TO 21:00. PLEASE. SEND YOUR RESUME  OR CONTACT ME AT ESMITH@DEFENSECOMPANY.COM GOOD PAY.please...’
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Comments: 17
Kudos: 64





	1. please...

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for clicking on this~  
> For the sake of the ff, Levi is around 23 while Erwin is in his early thirties.  
> I'm gonna try to upload regularly because I'm super excited to see how things turn out!  
> ^^♡

The first few rays of sunlight started to warm up the small, neatly organized room. It must’ve been around 6am when Levi’s first alarm went off, making him wake up almost instantly. 

Living alone wasn’t easy, especially when you’re in college, in debt and with no job. Levi’s in his third year of Literature and he loves it, he’s also thankful that during his first year his uncle had helped him with the renting of the apartment he lived in currently. 

But now it was time to fend for himself. Now don’t get him wrong, he’s worked and earned his money before with part time jobs as a teenager but now he had to find a balance between school, his life and work. And if he didn’t find a job by the end of the week he’d be screwed, he hated not being on time with payments and rent and the bills we’re going to start stacking up soon. 

So that’s why he was getting up this early, although this was an usual thing for him to do. He took a quick shower and made himself some tea, by 6:30 he had his laptop open and was browsing through websites to find a job that could fit him best. 

He finally found an advertisement that didn’t look sketchy. It looked real and like the person that had written it was....desperate. 

‘IN NEED OF NANNY! **URGENT.**

TWO KIDS (7 AND 5), JUST NEED HELP FROM 17:00 TO 21:00. PLEASE. SEND YOUR RESUME OR CONTACT ME AT ESMITH@DEFENSECOMPANY.COM GOOD PAY. 

please...’

Kids...Levi thought about it for a moment. If you asked any of his friends they would probably say that they could never picture Levi with one, but Levi knew they were wrong. He might be cold and distant sometimes but there was a soft spot deep inside for some people, and he surprisingly liked kids. As long as their little hands aren’t sticky and gross. And he’s done this before, he remembers spending hours taking care of a little one when he was 17 and he was pretty good at it. 

“E Smith...” He mumbled to himself as he typed those words in the search engine but nothing came up. “Huh. Defense company? Lawyer maybe?” Levi typed out that last word and raised his eyebrows just a bit when the website popped up. There he was, Erwin Smith. His blonde slicked back hair, the suit that looked was made just for him and a small smile on his lips. 

He was real and he looked like a nice guy. Levi could look for more job opportunities but a, would he find a place with the same schedule? and b, what if the pay was actually gonna be good? Students loans won’t pay for themselves. 

He set his tea down when he finished drinking it and got to typing. 

‘ Good morning, 

I just came across your post where it says you’ve been looking for someone to take care of your kids and I’m interested. Here is my resume and all the important information in case you want to communicate with me. 

Hoping to hear back from you, 

Levi Ackerman. ‘

That would do. He sent off the email and got up from his desk, getting ready for another busy day. He quickly grabbed his bag and took his phone with him, for the first time in a while he let the ringer on. He didn’t want to miss a reply from Mr. Smith, he needed this as much as he did.

The rest of the morning went by completely uneventful except from some fun stories Hange, his best friend, told him about. Just when they were done telling him about this “Absolutely crazy movie, Levi. Blood everywhere, it was disgusting you _have_ to see it,” was when his phone made a noise, startling him just a bit. 

He checked it right away and a relieved sigh went past his lips,

‘Is it alright if you come by later today? I will email you the address, I can also send someone to go get you if that’s what you prefer. We can discuss your salary and you’d meet Zoe and Marco. 

Let me know, 

-E. Smith.’

“Look,” Levi showed Hange the email and thought for a second. “Seems...legit, right? Or am I being way too naive?” He asked them to which Hange chuckled with a shake of their head while eyeing the email. “Pretty sure he’s real. Remember that Eren kid? The one that’s studying law and asked me for help with some papers? Well, that Smith guy over there teaches one of his classes so, you have my blessings to go.” Hange said in a serious tone before laughing. Levi nodded and looked at the phone number Erwin had left next to his name, hesitating for a second before tapping on it and starting the call.

“Hello?” A deep voice answered from the other line. 

“Hello. This is Levi, do you think you could pick me up at five? I’m at the faculty of letters, you know it’s in-”

“I know where it is. I read your resume.” He interrupted him. He would’ve scoffed if that happened in real life but, he’s willing to give this mysterious man a chance. “There’ll be a black sedan waiting for you at the entrance-,” some noise and voices could be heard from the other side, “I’m deeply sorry but there’s some things I need to take care about now but I can’t wait to meet you, Levi.” Erwin stated before hanging up the call.

First being interrupted and now he didn’t even say goodbye? Levi could only _hope_ that he wasn’t a rude and annoying person, otherwise he might have to say goodbye to this job and hello to the convenience store with their shitty, shitty pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed!!!


	2. ri-rivi?

The rest of the day flew by. After meeting with Hange and talking to Mr. Smith he had just one lecture left, before he knew it it was five already and he was making his way outside of the building, immediately spotting the car that was waiting for him. 

Describing it as fancy would be an understatement, it looked like the ones from the movies. He made his way over to the car, lightly tapping at the tinted window.

An older man rolled it down and gave him a warm smile, “You must be Levi...Ackerman, right?” When Levi nodded he continued, “Get in. Mr. Smith is waiting for you at his apartment.”

Levi got in the back of the car and looked around, the smell of the leather seats surrounding him. He appreciated the fact that it was spotless clean. He only hoped the apartment would be the same. 

“Thank you.” Levi told him, “I hope it wasn’t a bother coming all the way over here.” 

The ride to Erwin’s apartment was quite short, and once the car parked he got a nervous feeling. He wanted to make a good first impression and being completely honest, guessing from the car and the apartment building he was in he knew Mr. Smith had money and that he probably was a powerful person and that intimidated him a bit. 

He shrugged off the feeling as he made his way out of the car and into the building with the help of the chauffeur who guided him all the way up to the 14th floor. The last door at the right. After guiding him there the chauffeur left, leaving Levi alone. 

He adjusted his bag over his shoulder before ringing the doorbell once, taking a step back. He could hear the excited voices of little kids behind the door, a ‘daddy open!’ and a ‘hurry up!’ Levi only looked up when the door opened, Erwin was standing there and god he was tall. He actually had to look up to take in his features, snapping out of it when he reached his hand out to give Levi a handshake. 

“Nice to meet you, Levi. I’m Erwin,” the warmth of his hand felt nice but after a second Levi pulled away. “Nice to meet you as well Mr. Smith,” he said in a polite tone, “hope I’m not interrupting.”

Erwin shook his head at that and smiled subtly, “No worries. Come inside, please.” He told him while letting Levi walk into the apartment, his eyes immediately scanning the place. Tall walls and windows that went from top to bottom, it was organized and neat yet somehow you could tell it was lived in, the few toys scattered around and the faint sound of a TV with kids cartoons could be heard in the back. 

“Would you like me to meet the kids first or...am I getting interviewed?” Levi asked, his eyebrow arching a bit. Erwin was about to give a response but was interrupted by what seemed like to be a copy and paste of him, the only difference was that she was a girl. 

_Zoe_ , Levi figured out. The girl ran towards them and gave Levi a big grin while standing next to her dad, her arm wrapping around Erwin’s. “I’m Zoe! You’re gonna play with us from now on, right?” The seven year old asked excitedly, her blonde locks moving softly as she happily bounced on her feet. “Come meet Marco!” Erwin gave an apologetic look at Levi, accompanied with a “Go, we’ll talk when they’re done interviewing you.” Levi couldn’t help but smile at Zoe’s actions, for a kid she seemed to be very respectful. He followed her to the living room and there was the other little devil. Opposite siblings. Marco, who was two years younger than Zoe ran around the room, pretending to be some sort of superhero. He was full of energy, his freckled cheeks bright red from all the playing he’d been doing. 

“Marco look! Isn’t he the coolest, look at him, come on.” Zoe tugged on Marco’s arm to get his attention, dragging him all the way over to where Levi was standing. He crouched down to be at the same eye level as the kids, looking at the small mess Marco was leaving behind before looking at them. “Marco, Zoe. I like your names,” he said with a nod. “I’m Levi. I might be coming here everyday to spend some time with you guys, would you guys like that?”

Marco stared up at Levi with bright eyes as Zoe nodded happily, the boy thought for a second before speaking up “ _Ri-Rivi?_ ” Zoe giggled, taking Levi and Marco’s hand to take them to the activity table that was by the window, “It’s Levi silly!”

Levi couldn’t help but smile at that, both of the kids were cute and even though one was messier than the other, they were nice. That’s what Levi liked about kids, not a single mean bone in their bodies, the only problems they could have would be finding out what to play next. He kneeled by the table and started a small conversation with the kids while helping Zoe color a drawing she was making, smiling every so often when Marco called him Rivi. It was endearing and a nice moment, they stayed like that for a while, not noticing Erwin standing by the doorframe staring at them, a soft smile on his lips. 

Erwin let the trio have their little moment, turning his attention to his phone when it started buzzing. After a few minutes of answering emails of employees and potential clients he turned back to where they were playing. The kids seemed happy to have Levi there, it felt natural. He walked towards them, ruffling Marco’s hair as he spoke. “May I steal Levi from you two for a moment?” Levi looked up at him and nodded, getting up from where he was kneeling and flattening his shirt. 

Erwin gestured to Levi to follow him to his office, “They’re really nice. I think they liked me.” Levi spoke as they walked inside, Erwin took a seat on his desk while Levi sat in front of him. His eyes stared at the man in front of him, trying to figure out if he was pleased with him or if he should go back home and look for other jobs. Those thoughts were quickly disregarded as Erwin spoke, “They did. They’re not like that with everyone,” he continued, “Ever since Julia- their mom, left I’ve been trying to find someone to take care of them but they hate everyone.” The man chuckled.

“I feel honored then,” Levi said in a joking tone. “Would you want me to keep coming then, Mr. Smith?” He asked, his eyes glued on the others, smiling slightly at the “Yes, please,” that came from Erwin’s lips.

After that they settled how much Levi would be making, what things he could or couldn’t do, his schedule. Mr. Smith even offered to have the chauffeur waiting for Levi everyday but he declined even though he really appreciated the offer. Sealing the deal with a handshake and a smile from the tall blonde man, Levi couldn’t help but notice once again the warmth of his hand and how nice it felt against his cold hands. “I’ll be back tomorrow then,” he said while pulling his hand away, “Will you be here or is it going to be just me and the kids?” Erwin stood up from his chair so he could walk him back to the front door, “Just you and them, kiddo.” 

_Kiddo?_ A small tsk escaped from his lips, he hoped Erwin didn’t hear it. Making his new boss mad didn’t fit in the schedule he had planned for today. By the time they reached the door Levi turned around to look at him, politely nodding his head. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Smith.” Erwin opened the door for him, looking down at Levi while he walked out “Just call me Erwin.” He said while the other walked away and towards the elevator.

By the time Levi got back to his apartment he was tired, he laid down on his couch and looked through his bag until he found his phone. It had rang a few times while he was on his way back but he didn’t check it right away. A slight smile creeped up on his lips as he read the notification of one of the text messages he had received,

  
‘ **Erwin Smith** : I forgot to thank you as well, I really appreciate the help, Rivi.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine Zoe as a tiny Historia and Marco,,, as Marco TT_TT  
> Hope u enjoyed!!  
> Comments, kudos are welcome n appreciated^^


	3. butterflies.

Two weeks have passed since Levi got the job, he was already used to his new routine. School, work, sleep. It was time consuming but at least he had weekends off, he needed some time to be alone or to spend time with his friends, or else he’d go mad.He considered himself lucky, the kids really got along with him and spending time with them didn’t feel like a chore. 

Zoe would greet him most days with drawings she had made for him, Levi accepted them gratefully and kept them in a binder back home. Marco was sweet to him as well, if it was any other kid, Levi wouldn’t let him hug him whenever he saw him. Today was no excuse, the second Levi walked through the door and into the living room, the two kids ran up to him. He picked up Marco as he hugged back, ruffling his dark brown hair. “Hey there, little one.” Zoe gave him a quick hug before going back to play with her legos. 

Levi kept Marco in his arms, smiling as he was told about the newest episode of the cartoons he watched “There was a dragon, a-and...fire!” The boy said excitedly, with his arms around Levi’s neck. He listened intently, “Dragons scare me, if we ever see one you’ll have to save me, yeah?” Levi didn’t hear the front door open and he didn't notice the way Erwin was staring at the two, he found it endearing. 

Even if Erwin wasn’t home much, he had been able to catch a few glimpses of the way Levi treated the kids. The way they talked about him to him made his heart fill up with joy, one of the most important things in his life was the wellbeing of his kids and Levi made them happy. He leaned against the doorframe, thinking for a moment. Watching Levi like that made some feelings arise, he liked having him around and to be quite honest he had been waiting for the perfect moment to get to know him, maybe tonight was the night.

He left the room quietly, making his way to the office to get his work done while Levi put Marco down. A few hours of playing later, they were already getting tired and it was almost time for Levi to go. He checked the watch on his left wrist when he finished putting them both to bed, 9:05. Time to go back to reality, a warm cup of tea was waiting for him at home. Levi quietly exited the room, he didn’t want to wake them up by mistake. 

The walk to the living room was short and he was a bit startled to see Erwin sitting on one of the couches, his eyes focused on whatever was going on on his phone screen. “Mr. Smith,” Levi said politely as he grabbed his bag, ready to leave. 

“Levi.” Erwin put his phone to a side, his eyes looking down at his bag before moving to his face. “I… Do you mind staying behind for a little bit? I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while and-” he stopped mid-sentence with a chuckle, Levi looked worried, “It’s nothing serious. Not work related.”

“Oh.” Levi felt instant relief, he put his bag down and went to take a seat next to Erwin, keeping a distance between them. “I don’t have any plans for tonight so I guess I could keep you company for a while. We haven’t talked much since I got here, I actually didn’t know if that was off limits.”

“Not off limits. I’m just busy all the damn time.” He sighed. “But, I’ve heard many great things about you. From Zoe and Marco, of course.” Levi couldn't help but smile at that while Erwin continued, “I’m interested in you. I wanna get to know you.”

Interested. The word stayed on Levi’s mind. Did he mean it in _that_ way? He pushed the thoughts away, was it a good idea to get involved with his boss like that? Levi shook his head subtly, he was overthinking. Chances were Erwin just wanted to know more about him.

“I’m honored,” he looked at him. “Well, besides what you already know from my resume there’s not much going on. All I do lately is go to lectures, watch those little brats and whenever I have time I just...read, drink tea, write.” 

Erwin listened carefully to what he said, nodding his head. “Makes sense that you’re studying literature if that’s what you like to do in your spare time. Do you live alone or is there someone with you?” The man asked, subtly hinting he wanted to know more about Levi’s relationships.

“Just me, and my neighbors cat. Somehow it manages to get in my balcony every night,” his arm moving to rest on the armrest of the couch. “What about you? Is it just you and the kids or is there a special someone in your life?” Levi asked before he could register his words, nibbling down on his bottom lip, “That was an inappropriate question, I’m sorry, Mr. Smith.”

“What did I tell you the first time we met? Just call me Erwin.” A slight smirk on his lips. “I asked you the same thing. I guess you were more straightforward with it. It's just me and them.”

“Dating can be hard, all I do is work. Running a company has so many perks but it’s always busy. And the free time I have I try to spend with Marco and Zoe, I don’t want them to remember their childhood and not having memories of me with them.” Erwin continued, his head moving to rest on his hand, looking at Levi.

“Mhm.” He hummed as a response, “But I’m sure that if there was someone willing to look past that or if they were interested in you, they’d make it work, Erwin. You never know.” Calling him by his name felt good, although he still planned on using the Mr. Smith here and there.

Was he flirting? Snap out of it, Levi, he told himself. Wasn’t he just thinking that getting involved with his boss would be bad? He wished he had the strength to stop but it seemed as Erwin was interested in him, and god it’s been so long since the last time he had any sort of those feelings for another person. 

Talking to Erwin wasn’t hard, it was natural and he didn’t even notice how fast the time passed. He got to know more about Erwin’s life, about the classes he occasionally gave at Levi’s university, about how he started his company. They also shared small details about each other, Erwin’s favorite color was green (not the ugly kind, he showed him a picture on his phone, a sage dusty green), his favorite wine, the type of music he liked. Old rock, it didn’t make much sense to Levi but he could see Erwin being a few years younger with a grungey look.

Levi wasn’t one to share much information with people he didn’t know, one of the only persons he was actually close with was Hange and even them didn't fully know Levi. But there was something about Erwin, the way he listened closely, the way he could tell he was taking mental notes when he said “Honey ginseng or plain english breakfast, those are _the best._ ” He also didn’t mind the small tea rant, instead he smiled as he listened. 

When Levi checked his watch again his eyebrows rose, “Fuck it’s late…” “Is it?” He nodded and looked at Erwin a bit disappointed, “Yeah. Almost midnight. I have to go if I wanna catch the last train.” The subway station wasn’t far away and if he made a run for it he’d get there just in time. Levi got up from the couch and grabbed his bag, “It was nice talking to you, Erwin. I deeply enjoyed this.” Erwin sat up, gently grabbing Levi by his wrist. “I’ll drive you home.”

His heart started beating just a tad faster at the touch, he kept his cool, trying to not think much about it so his cheeks wouldn’t turn a pale shade of pink. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you next monday, yeah?” Levi gave him a small smile, Erwin’s fingers slowly losing the grip on his wrist. “Goodnight, Levi.” “Goodnight, Mr. Smith.” He said before making his way out of the apartment, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he got in the elevator. He liked the feeling he got deep in his gut when he was with Erwin. _Butterflies?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this was a longer chapter!  
> i'm not used to writing much dialogue but i tried my best  
> hope you enjoyed ^^  
> as always, comments n kudos are appreciated ♡  
> *might come back and re-read it!


	4. demi moore.

The sound of a keyboards being quickly tapped was the only sound coming from Levi’s apartment, occasional buzzings from his phone as it lit up with a notification that stated ‘20 messages unread from Four Eyes.’ Hange. They hadn’t talked much lately, Levi seemed to be busy all the time so he understood why they would send so many texts. It didn’t seem like they were texting him because something was wrong or anything like that, he was used to getting spammed by Hange and their million messages, all of them ending with a good amount of emojis that most of the time didn’t even relate to whatever the text said. 

He pushed his hair back only for it to flop back into place, the second he finished his essay he’d text back. It was the least he could do for them. He was fond of Hange, they’ve been friends for what felt like ages and they were definitely one of the most important persons in his life. Levi got up from his desk and made his way into the kitchen, preparing some tea for himself before continuing his work. As much as he liked what he was studying, he didn’t understand why he had to write so many words over dead tongues. They’re dead for a reason, no one needs them, he thought. 

When he was done he sighed and put his head on his hands for a brief moment, his eyes felt like they were fried. He made a mental note to either get glasses or to stop working on his assignments so damn late. His tea had gone cold and he was too tired to go make some more, he just wanted to go to bed and get some rest. In less than ten minutes he washed his cup, brushed his teeth, got changed into the oversized shirt he wore to sleep and plopped down into his bed. He closed his eyes for a moment, no longer than a second when the familiar buzzing came from his phone again. Did Hange ever sleep? He was no one to judge. 

He read and sent a reply to each and every message they had sent, it took him a solid twenty minutes. “How is it 4:30 already?” Levi mumbled as he looked at the rest of the notifications. That’s when he noticed. The last message he had received didn’t come from Hange, it was Erwin. He quickly checked it and smiled to himself.

‘Up so late?’

Erwin must’ve seen he had been online earlier, he sent the message while he was replying to Hange but he didn’t saw the notification at first. ‘busy writing essays. my brain is fried. why are you up so late mr. smith?’ Levi sat up, his head resting against the headboard as he expectantly waited for the reply. It took Erwin a minute to write back, multiple texts. ‘There’s an important case I’m working on.’ ‘I was trying to sleep earlier...no luck. Then I saw you were online.’

‘oh so you were stalking me?’ Levi typed out jokingly. Since they had that late night conversation the other day he could feel the shift on their relationship. He got the feeling he could be more himself with Erwin, he told him he wanted to get to know Levi after all. He only hoped that Erwin would do the same. Oh. He totally was. ‘I couldn’t sleep and I missed your face. Then I realized you have a cat as your profile picture. So yes, I guess you could say I was stalking.’ 

His heart skipped a beat. Levi wasn’t a religious person by any means but he was praying to whichever god was willing to listen that this was real. Did Erwin Smith really say -well, text- those words? He licked his bottom lip as he stared at the screen, trying to come up with a reply. ‘do you tell all your workers that?’ He followed it up with a, ‘i’m just joking. i might set a picture of myself as the profile picture so you can look at it next time but for now...here’ He felt silly, the way he barely knew this man and he had that effect on him made no sense to him. He wanted to know everything about him. Fuck, he felt like he was fourteen with a crush again. Levi quickly snapped a picture of himself, the dimly lit room allowed his features to be seen. 

His hair was slightly ruffled, his big shirt draped a bit over one of his shoulders and if you zoomed in enough you could tell there were bags under his eyes, yet his expression wasn’t tired. His lips pressed in a line as he smiled just a bit. After hitting send he pressed his head against a pillow, hiding his face. It wasn’t until he got a reply that he pushed the pillow away. 

‘Can I call you?’ 

‘yes’

Levi cleared his throat and picked up when Erwins named popped up, he put him on speaker and put the phone by his side. 

“Missed my face and my voice too, I’m assuming,” he received a chuckle in return. 

“Maybe. That’s for me to know,” the man continued, “I hope this doesn’t sound weird butlast night was nice. I haven’t enjoyed a conversation in...months, I think.” 

“We can keep doing it if you want cause I liked it too. You’re easy to talk to and,” he was about to stop himself but he said it anyway, “It’s like I don’t have to pretend with you, y’know? I feel like I can be me.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he could tell Erwin was smiling when he said that. “It just makes me want to know you more, all of you.”

“Oh all of me? What’s next, asking me what I’m wearing, Mr. Smith?” Levi stared at the ceiling with a smirk, the sound Erwin made made him laugh. “I’m joking...”

“I was hoping you weren’t joking.” He was quick to say. “In all seriousness Levi... I mean it when I say I want to know you, I’m not just trying to get in your pants and leave.” 

The smile stayed on Levi’s lips while they talked. Time flew by. Whenever Levi had something witty to say Erwin was quick to reply, they had a similar humor and he was glad that he seemed to like the occasional flirtatious things Levi told him, even if they were all half joke half truth for now, from what he gathered Erwin was the type to take things slow unlike Levi but good things take time, right? 

It went quiet on the other line after a while, “Did you fall asleep?” Levi asked in a soft voice, turning around to lay on his stomach as he propped his head up with his hand. “No,” Erwin murmured, “The sun is coming up.” Levi laughed a bit and looked at his window, “Mhm. It’s almost six, I think....You sure do like to talk. Making me miss my precious hours of sleep.” 

He started to believe that Erwin’s chuckles were his new favorite sound, his deep voice was something out of this world. “You want me to hang up then?” The older man teased. “No...I don’t wanna be alone,” Levi told him, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip. 

“Is that so?”

“Mhm...I just- I’ve got a good feeling, y’know. And that doesn’t happen very often, Erwin. So...” he trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed. 

“I won’t hang up then. And I won’t leave you alone.” 

A soft “Thank you” was Levi’s reply, he changed the subject though. They could have a heart to heart moment eventually, the only person that knew about Levi’s ‘past’ was Hange and he avoided the topic, heartbreak wasn’t a good luck on him but, for now he just wanted to hear Erwin speak, not think about previous failed attempts at relationships. And that’s what he did, not even noticing how he started drifting off, his voice soothing and calming him enough to allow him to do something he usually struggled with. He could get used to staying up late every night if it meant having Erwin’s voice lulling him to sleep. Levi was now one hundred percent sure that his voice was his new favorite sound. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like this chapter!!  
> tried to add more dialogue this time again! i struggle a bit with it but i feel like i’m definitely making progress.  
> also, i know you’re thinking ‘demi moore?’ i listened to demi moore by phoebe bridgers and got inspired, stole quite a few lines from it and added them through the episode. give it a listen!!  
> comments n kudos are welcome and so appreciated ^^ ♡  
> *as always i’ll be re-reading the chapter later, there might be a few changes if i notice typos or anything like that!


	5. kiss.

The late night calls ended up becoming a usual thing for Levi and Erwin. Due to Erwin's busy schedule they rarely saw each other at the apartment and if they did, Levi was with the kids running around the living room and Erwin didn’t want to interrupt whatever they had going on. Even if they didn’t see each other much, their relationship was slowly starting to build and get stronger. Levi felt more comfortable around Erwin, talking to him made him happy. 

Erwin felt the same way yet he wished he had more time to spend with him. The calls weren’t enough and he was almost desperate for the next time he and Levi could spend time together. That’s when he decided to clear his schedule, he’d be free from four to five just so he could pick Levi up from college and take him to the apartment. 

It was monday, Levi had the most lectures those days and he was exhausted. He wanted to go back to his place but he had work, he wasn’t going to lie and call in sick just to be lazy for a few hours, he wasn’t like that. The male looked around and bit on his bottom lip, the chauffeur and the car were nowhere to be seen and it worried him. He was always on time. 

‘You look cute,’ the screen of his phone lit up by a text Erwin sent. He felt his cheeks flushing, looking around. Was he here? It took him a second to spot him in a silver fancy car. Levi smiled a bit and made his way over to the car, leaning down when Erwin rolled the window. “Need a ride?” the man said jokingly, a grin on his lips. He got on the seat next to Erwins, he wanted to lean in and place a kiss on the man’s cheek as a greeting but he stopped himself. “I didn't expect to see you here,” Levi tilted his head a bit so he could look at him better. “I missed you.” He admitted. Erwin smiled at that and started the engine. 

“I missed you too, Levi. That's why I came.” He explained as he started driving. “I made some time and, if you’re okay with this, I want to be the one that picks you up.” Levi nodded at that, a soft smile on his lips. “I would like that.” They talked about Levi's day, what Erwin did at the office and before Levi noticed, the older man had managed to take a hold of his left hand. He looked down and intertwined their fingers. He could get used to this. 

For the rest of the week they kept this little routine, when friday came and Levi got inside the car Erwin looked at him with a sweet smile. “Guess what.” Levi furrowed his eyebrows and chuckled, “Erwin, I'm not a psychic. What?” “You’re getting a day off today. We’re going out.” Levi smiled at that and moved to hold the man’s hand while he drove, they hadn’t gone beyond that but Levi was more than happy with their little touches. “Is this a date, Mr. Smith?” he asked, playing with Erwin's fingers, getting a nod and a hum as a response. 

“There’s this new place near the office. Apparently they only have the best teas and I thought of you when I walked by it this morning.” Erwin told him as he drove them there. Levi smiled, absolutely smitten. “Oh. I read about it, I wanted to go but I didn’t think I'd have time. This is just perfect, Erwin.”

The place was just as Levi imagined it, decorated in a minimalist manner with earthy tones. He walked hand in hand with Erwin to one of the booths by the back. “I haven't been on a date in,” Levi's lips pursed a bit, “maybe... eight months? I’m glad my first date after all that time is with you.” He said as he stared down at the many options of tea they had, choosing just one to try was hard. “First of many,” Erwin said as he looked at Levi, his hair flopping down as he read the menu. Levi ended up ordering for both of them, after all he was the expert on the topic as Erwin told him, moving to sit closer to him while they waited. 

After orderind Levi went quiet for a while before asking. “Do you think the kids would be okay with this?” He pointed at Erwin and then at himself, he hadn’t thought about it before. Mainly cause they never established they were going on dates until now. “Levi they love you. You’ve made their days significantly better and I think Zoe would understand. Marco has no idea what relationships or dating is so...they'll be fine. But we don’t have to tell them straight away, we’ve been taking it slow so there’s no rush..” 

The man nodded. “Never thought I’d be dating my own boss. So inappropriate, Mr. Smith. Is there a way I could get a hold of HR? Hm?” Levi joked with a smirk on his lips. “Stop that,” he earned a chuckle from the blonde as he played along” if you have any complaints you can tell me. But for now, shut up.” Levi's mind completely erased the fact that they were taking things slow, he murmured “make me,” not expecting Erwin to act up on it but there was nothing to lose. It wouldn’t be the first time Levi joked like that with him. 

He stared at Erwin's face, the man’s eyebrows raised slightly and it seemed like he was thinking about it for a moment. His big hand moved to gently cup Levi’s cheek, he could feel them heat up at the touch. His thumb gently dragged across his cheekbone and with his other hand he pushed back some of his hair. 

Time was definitely moving slower for the two of them. Levi's eyes gazed down at Erwin’s lips before looking back up at him, his lips parted and he was about to speak again when Erwin leaned in. The feeling was indescriptible. Their lips fit together so perfectly. Levi's hand moved to rest on the side of Erwin's neck as they kissed, it was soft and sweet, gentle. Just how Levi imagined it. 

The only reason they broke the kiss was because Erwin's phone started to ring, over and over. “Pick that up,” Levi murmured against Erwin's lips, pressing a quick short kiss before leaning back against the seat. “It’ll be just a second, I’ll be right back.” The man gave a soft squeeze to Levi's hand before getting up and walking outside to answer the call. 

Soon enough the waitress walked to the booth, placing the cups on the table and giving Levi a warm smile. He thanked them and took a sip from his tea before checking his watch. Erwin had been gone for almost fifteen minutes. He nibbled on his bottom lip. After another five minutes passed he grabbed his bag, placing some money on the table before making his way outside of the store. 

His heart sank, looking around he couldn’t spot Erwin anywhere. He checked his phone, no texts, no missed calls, nothing. Levi sighed and rubbed his cheek with the side of his hand as he started to make his way towards the subway station, he wasn’t going to sit around and wait until the other decided to show up again. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision but he was hurt. Best first date ever, thanks Erwin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh Erwin ):  
> hope u enjoyed!!  
> i just posted a eruri fic, nothing like this one,,,its just, smut,,,maybe you'll like it  
> comments n kudos are more than welcome ^^♡


	6. creep.

When Levi got back home he made his way inside, dropping his bag on the table before taking out his phone. He turned it off and left it by his kitchen counter, he didn’t want to be checking it every five seconds to see if Erwin had said anything. He sighed, preparing himself a cup of tea before stepping into the small balcony. He sat down and looked outside at the cars passing by while sipping from his tea.  _ Maybe I’m just overreacting,  _ he thought. Was he being childish by leaving and turning his phone off?  _ Maybe.  _

He just needed some time to think, collect himself and calm down a bit. Levi stared into the distance as he made a mental list of all the possible things that could’ve happened.  _ Something involving the kids. Work. Or maybe the kiss made him realize he doesn’t like me like that.  _ Levi’s nose scrunched up, setting his cup aside. He wasn’t going to spiral over that thought, self sabotaging was like a second language to Levi but he was going to avoid that for now.

The man stayed outside for a while, a smile reappearing on his lips when he heard a familiar ‘meow’ come from his neighbors cat. “Come here,” Levi gently rubbed behind the ears, the cat purring immediately. “I’m going to steal you and run away from here one of these days.” He took the cat into his arms before walking back inside, at least now he had some company.

By the next day he finally decided to turn on his phone. He chewed on his breakfast as he checked his notifications. Useless emails from his professors, many texts from Hange as usual, they kept going on about how this new guy was in their classes. Levi knew Hange was trying to get him to make more friends, he appreciated the effort. Among those texts he spotted Erwin’s name, he bit his lip and read the notification. He couldn’t see the entire message but what he managed to read was a ‘Levi please answer.’ He noticed the man had sent a few texts before those ones. He read the messages, they didn’t explain anything at all. It was just Erwin saying ‘sorry’ and how it would ‘never happen again.’ 

“Tsk.” Levi’s fingers hovered over the keyboard as he thought of a reply. 

‘whatever, erwin. you could’ve walked in and told me you had to go, i waited and waited like a fool’

He set the phone down and got up, he cleaned up the dishes he had used for his breakfast and then got to cleaning the rest of the apartment. It helped him clear his mind. After about an hour and a half it was as clean as new, the only dirty thing in the room being himself. Levi quickly made his way to the bathroom and had a shower, the smell of his tea scented shampoo filling up the room. Guess you could say he had a bit of an obsession with tea. 

Soon enough he walked back into his room, towel wrapped around his waist as his wet fingertips tapped away on his phone. No reply from Erwin yet but Hange had invited him to have lunch out, were they a mind reader? This was just what he needed. He agreed immediately and got ready to go, Hange better be ready to hear all about what happened with Erwin, god, he hadn’t even told them they were a thing. 

“Leeeeviiiiii,” was the first thing he heard when he walked into the small restaurant. “Be quiet, everyone’s looking.” Hange shrugged and patted the seat next to theirs. “I don’t care. Now sit. I haven’t talked to you in so long, that’s no way of treating your bestest friend.”

“Don’t treat me like a dog,” the man chuckled as he sat down, eyes quickly taking a look at the menu. “I know. Since I got the job I’ve been busy and…,” he sighed, “a lot has happened.” “Hm? What?” Levi’s fingers tapped against the table, looking at Hange. “Remember Erwin? My boss?” A nod. “Well. This has been going on for a few weeks now, we were flirting and I like him. He likes me back, I’m pretty sure of that.”

“That’s great, silly. Why do you sound upset? Do I have to have a serious talk with him?” Levi rolled his eyes, “let me finish.” Another nod from Hange. “So yesterday he picks me up, takes me to the fucking nicest tea room in the entire city. We kissed and then he just disappeared? He left me there and this morning he had texted me saying sorry blah blah. I dunno, I wish he could explain and apologize in real life instead of doing it through texts.” Hange listened carefully, “Well why don’t you call him? Tell him to be upfront. If you don’t do it, I will.”

“The hell you will.” Levi chuckled and moved his hand to ruffle Hange’s hair, “I’ll probably do that. Thanks for listening, Glasses.” “Yeah, whatever, it's my turn to talk now. So this guy, Zeke-”

The rest of lunch went by quickly, Levi’s mood changing and improving significantly. He felt better now that he had managed to talk to someone about what was happening. When it was time to leave he waved Hange bye, watching as they walked away. Levi’s phone buzzed right there and then. He took it out and read a ‘Can we talk?’ from Erwin. Levi was quick to reply.

‘i’ll be home in an hour or so, i’ll text you my address. you can come whenever you have time’

Once Levi got home he sat around as he waited, he didn’t know if Erwin would be coming now or later. He scrolled through his phone, grabbed a book and read some pages of it, made some tea, watched some sappy tv show that was clearly catered to high schoolers - it was so bad yet he couldn’t keep his eyes off of it, why were these teens looking for a killer? He sighed, head resting on his hand as he finished the episode. He watched most of the season, not like he was proud to admit that, it was around three when he started the show and now it was almost eight pm. The man got up from the couch, stretching his arms and yawning. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen, turning on his kettle before looking around for something to eat. He closed his fridge, cursing at himself, he seriously needed to go get some groceries. 

The bell rang then, making him look towards the door. His fingers fixed his hair, adjusting his shirt before opening the door. “Erwin,” Levi said softly, “hey.” The man looked tired and the look on his face indicated that he was clearly upset, he gave Levi a small smile, “Hey.” The raven haired man gently took Erwin’s hand into his, “Come in. Is everything alright?,” he asked as they made their way into the small living room, “you look like you haven’t slept.” Erwin plopped down on the couch, scratching the back of his head before sighing. “I haven’t.”

Levi moved to sit next to him, holding his legs up to his chest as he stared at the man. “Why not? What happened yesterday, Erwin?” He asked carefully. “It’s Julia,” Erwin stated. It took a second to remember that name,  _ his ex wife _ , Levi nodded, waiting for him to continue. “She left the country when we broke things off and she told me she was never coming back,” he bit on his bottom lip, “but she’s back. She went into the office, demanded to speak with me and when I got there she said she wanted full custody for the kids.” Levi opened his mouth with a quiet gasp. “And I’m sorry, Levi. That’s why I left, I-” the man took Levi’s hand, their fingers intertwining, “I should’ve said something but I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.” 

He shook his head no almost instantly. “God, no, Erwin. It’s fine I-” Levi sighed, squeezing his hand a little, “I understand.” He felt dumb, he was worrying over nothing while Erwin had been going through that on his own. “Where are the kids now?” “With her. They’ll be with her until monday morning and then...Well I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I don’t want to lose them, Levi.” The man tried to find the right words to tell him, his lips pressing together before speaking up. “Erwin,” he gently touched his cheek to get his attention, “from what I gathered, you’re one of the best lawyers in this entire hell hole of a city. So what you’re going to do now is fight for that custody, yeah? You’re fucking good at what you do, it’ll be a walk in the park.” “You think so?” Erwin sounded a bit discouraged. “I know so. Don’t doubt yourself now, I know it seems- it is hard but, it’s gonna be fine at the end. I’m sure of that.”

The blonde nodded, his head thrown back against the couch while he thought for a moment. He brought Levi’s hand up, giving it a small kiss. “Thank you, doll.” Levi smiled a bit at the name, if it was anyone else calling him that he would’ve beaten them up. “Now, don’t you dare apologize again or else…” “Or else what?” His eyes squinting as he looked at Erwin, “Dunno, I’m still thinking about it.” Erwin chuckled and Levi was relieved to hear him like that again. “Now let me take care of you. Have you eaten anything?” Erwin shook his head no. “I figured. Wait here while I make us something.” Levi got up from where he was sitting, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of the blonde’s head before making his way into the kitchen. A silence fell for a few minutes before he heard a “Were you seriously watching that?” Levi felt embarrassed, “shut up! It's entertaining.” He stated while he made his way back into the living room with their food, “don’t judge.”

They watched the tv, Levi making snarky remarks over pretty much everything that was going on in the show. Erwin laughed. Being there with Levi made him relax and calm down from the situation he was in, he looked at him with a smile before yawning. “I should get going,” he said once they had finished their food, he barely got any sleep last night, the bags under his eyes being noticeable. “You plan on driving?” A nod. “Nope. Not under my watch. Do you have a death wish? You could fall asleep and-” Levi shook his head. “I could get a cab.” Levi shook his head again, “stay the night.” 

It took some time to convince Erwin but he ended up agreeing. Levi helped him get up from the couch and dragged him to the hallway. “There’s a new toothbrush under the sink and I have this shirt that might fit you,” he chuckled, “it’s under my pillow so...feel free to use whatever you want, okay?” The taller man smiled and gave a small kiss to Levi’s forehead, “thank you.” 

He left Erwin alone, checking his watch before tidying up a bit and finally turning off his tv. Too much drama for one day. After Erwin was done using the bathroom, Levi walked in, quickly brushing his teeth and hands. He then knocked on his bedroom door, “Are you decent?” he joked. “Don’t say that ever again, it made you sound like you were old. Older than me, even.” Erwin told him, sitting down on the bed. Levi’s oversized shirt fit him perfectly, he stared at him for a moment only moving his gaze back to Erwin’s eyes when he spoke again, “I can sleep on the couch.” “The floor is more comfortable than my couch,” he started looking for a shirt he could wear to bed, “I’m not saying you should sleep on the floor if that’s what you’re thinking.” Erwin chuckled. “You’re sleeping in bed, with me.” He said nonchalantly. “So now cover your eyes, I’m gonna get changed.” “I’m not a pervert,” Erwin tried to sound offended. “Mhm.”

He tried to be quick, almost falling over when he took off his pants. “Shit.” Levi cursed under his breath before grabbing the shirt he had picked out, he had his back towards Erwin but yet he could feel the other stare. He put on the shirt and adjusted it, hoping the faint blush on his cheek had disappeared by now. “What did I say about covering your eyes?” Levi teased, moving to lay down on the bed, “They were covered? You just didn’t see cause you were facing the other way.” “But how did you know I was facing that wall instead of you?” This time it was Erwin’s turn to blush.  _ So adorable. _ “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Suuuure. I’ll pretend I believe what you’re saying,” he moved around, pulling Erwin by his arm so he was laying next to him.

Levi laid on his back, Erwin staring at him, how his hair flopped by the sides of his head, how cute and pointy his nose was and just how perfect he was. He sighed, a content sigh this time before moving a hand up, touching Levi’s cheek, making him move and lay on his side. They stared at each other for a moment before the shorter man leaned in, gently kissing Erwin on his lips. His hands moved to rest on Erwin’s side, shuffling closer, their lips separating only to be connected again and again. Erwin’s hand gently tilted Levi’s head to the side, his tongue gingerly dragging across his bottom lip, his lips parted, tongues gliding against each other. 

Levi was the one to break the kiss this time, a tiny smile appearing on his lips when he felt the other press three kisses. One to his forehead, a quick peck on the lips and a small one to the tip of his nose. His arms wrapped around Levi’s smaller frame, holding him close while Levi hid his face on the man’s chest. “You’re gonna smell like me,” he gently tugged at the shirt. “Yeah. It’s definitely not a problem though,” Erwin continued, “I might get you to sleep with me every night to smell like you, and to hold you like this…” Levi smiled, pressing a kiss to his chest through the cotton fabric. “Creep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw,,  
> this chapter was definitely longer, i only realized that now  
> i hope you enjoyed!!~^^♡


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